Container lip rolling machine



Dec. 19, 1967 w. o. WEBER 3,358,331

CONTAINER LIP ROLLING MACHINE Filed March 9, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z6 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Dec. 19, 1967 w. o. WEBER 3,358,331

CONTAINER LIP ROLLING MACHINE Filed March 9, 1964 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 52 V//////////////// I ///////////////l I f I 1 32 "a r ii Z///////////// /////////J zz ,L s 30 j 70 INVENTOR 64 45947580- M55? 42 ATTORNEYS Dec. 19, 1967 w. o. WEBER CONTAINER LIP ROLLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 9, 1964 INVENTOR 1 454175? 0 W555)? ATTORNEYS Dec. 19, 1967 w. o. WEBER 3,358,331

CONTAINER LIP ROLLING MACHINE Filed March 9, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

\Z? 5 l I I Ag 84 so 2 v/0 GROUP 1 6 L82 3 l Q I 92 G/fgl/PI 94 Z a fig G/m/P INVENTOR W24 755a Mam ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,358,331 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 3,358,331 CONTAINER LIP ROLLING MACHINE Walter 0. Weber, Newark, Del., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Haveg Industries, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hercules Powder Company, New Castle,

Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 350,398 Claims. (CI. 18-19) This application constitutes a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 277,539, filed May 2, 1963, now abandoned.

This invention relates to containers and more particularly to the apparatus for forming a smooth lip or curled rim on these containers.

When container blanks are cut from sheet material the extreme upper edge of the container is left with occasional jagged spots which can cause cutting and irritation. Various methods have been devised to curl the upper edge under to make these jag ed spots inaccessible. The present methods are unsatisfactory due to difficulty in curling the rim of the container. Furthermore, the curled rim tends to return to its precurled configuration when the apparatus is run at extremely high speeds. Moreover, when helical grooves were used to curl the rim, it was necessary to elaborately preform the rim in order that the rim might be properly gripped by the screw thread. For instance, the patent to Edwards, 3,096,546 of July 9, 1963, uses a container with a side wall terminating in an outwardly and downwardly projecting circumferential rim. A container having a rim of three dimensions, such as disclosed in the Edwards patent, is more difiicult to form than a container having a rim of merely two dimensions such as a rim that only projects outwardly. Furthermore, it would not be necessary to cut the rim along a seam when removing it from the surrounding scrap. Howcvx;

a container having only an outwardly projecting circumferential rim encounters another difficulty when used with a roller having a groove with a cross-sectional configuration such as disclosed in the Edwards patent cited above or in Moser, 2,611,412 of Sept. 23, 1952. The rim initially would rest on the bottom surface of the groove, but as the depth of the groove decreases, the container, due to its light weight, would ride up the root surface of the groove until it reached the point of maximum depth of the groove. A further decrease in depth would then cause the free edge of the rim to start curling. The problem is obvious by asking the question, Which way will the edge curl? As can be readily seen, there is no assurance that the free edge would curl inwardly toward the side of the container.

Broadly, therefore, it is an object of this invention to overcome these former defects and provide a superior method and apparatus for forming lips or curled rims on containers.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for heating the rim as it is curled so that it becomes more pliable and susceptible of being curled smoothly.

Moreover, it is also an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for cooling the curled rim so as to set the curl, particularly when the apparatus is run at extremely high speeds.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for curling the rim of a container having a side wall terminating in an outwardly projecting circumferential rim.

Likewise, it is an object of this invention to provide a curling member having a groove which will start the rim curling in the proper direction.

A further object is to provide a method and apparatus for nesting the containers having a side wall terminating in an outwardly projecting circumferential rim, successively delivering the containers to rim confining grooves, progressively curling the rim while heating it, and cooling the curled rim thus formed.

Still a further object is to provide an apparatus for operatively connecting the rim confining members so as to maintain confinement of the rim within the same corresponding portion of each groove.

These and other objects of this invention are more fully described in the following detailed discussion having specific reference to the attached drawings in which an embodiment of the apparatus of the invention is depicted, not to limit the scope of the invention in any respect, but so that the principles thereof might be more clearly illustrated.

In the drawings: 7

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus embodying the principles of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevational view of one member of the apparatus of FIGURE 1, with parts broken away to expose details otherwise hidden from view;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side elevational view showing a plurality of containers in an upright nested position;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged plan elevational view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of various sections of the helical/groove and container rim showing progressive steps of curling the rim, with the steps being set off in groups for the purpose of more clearly describing the same; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevational sectional view of the groove immediately above and below the insulating member taken substantially along the lines 6-6 of FIGURE 1. I

Referring to FIGURE 1, a container rim curling or lip forming machine embodying the principles of the invention is illustrated at 10 and comprises an optional cabinet 12, preferably made of transparent material, surrounding a plurality of generally cylindrical, helically threaded or helically groovedmtznbers 14 which are symmetrically and equiradially disposed from a common axis with which they extend in a generally parallel fashion so as to define a generally cylindrical passage through which the containers C pass. The members 14 have upper and lower axial extensions 16 and 18, perhaps better illustrated in FIGURE 2, which are journalled for rotation respectively in upper and lower bearing plates 20 and 22.

A feeder 24 is mounted on top of auxiliary bearing plate 52 and is axially aligned with the passageway formed by the plurality of members 14. At the opposite end of the passageway a suitable receiver 26 is positioned to receive the discharged containers.

An electric motor 28 drives a pair of endless belts 30 which in turn rotate the members 14 at the same speed and in the same direction, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, each member 14 is preferably comprised of an upper section 32 and a lower section 34 having an upper chamber 36 and a lower chamber 38 formed respectively therein, preferably separated from one another by a thermal insulating member 40. The insulator 40 extends completely across the crosssection of member 14 so that its exterior forms part of the thread 42 of member 14. The insulator 40 is held in place by means of annular, exteriorly threaded flanges 44 which engage both the upper section 32 and the lower section 34 by means of interior threads 46 on the ends adjacent to the insulator 40. Within the scope of the invention the insulator could be held in place by any practical means and could, in fact, be eliminated, so long as the upper section 32 and the lower section 34 maintain 3 the degree of insulation required to achieve the purposes set forth herein.

Each member 14 at its upper end terminates in an annular end wall 48 having an extension 16 in the form of a conduit 50 extending coaxially upwardly through hearing plate 29 and auxiliary bearing plate 52 and terminating in a rotary joint 54 communicating with the exterior through an outlet conduit 56. A conduit 58 of lesser diameter than conduit 50 is mounted coaxially with conduit 50 and extends from an inlet conduit 60 through rotary joint 54 and through conduit 50 into the lower interior of upper charnber 36. Steam enters the lower part of the upper chamber 36 through conduits 60 and 58. The steam thereafter travels up the inner walls of upper chamber 36 warming the upper section 32 of member 14 above the insulator 4t) and subsequently leaves the upper chamber 36 through conduit 50, rotary valve 54, and outlet conduit 56.

Similarly, each member 14 at its lower end terminates in an annular end wall, not shown, having an extension 18 in the form of a conduit, not shown, extending coaxially downwardly through a lower bearing plate 22 and terminating in a rotary joint 62 communicating with the exterior through conduit 64, similar to the conduit construction at the upper end of member 14. An inner conduit 66 of lesser diameter than the conduit formed in extension 18 is mounted coaxially with said conduit and extends from an inlet conduit 68 through the rotary joint 62 and through extension 18 into the upper interior of lower chamber 38. A cooling fluid enters the upper part of the lower chamber 38 through conduits 68 and 66. The cooling fluid thereafter travels down the inner walls of lower chamber 38 cooling the lower section 34 of meniber 14 below the insulator 40 and subsequently leaves the lower chamber 38 through extension 18, rotary joint 62, and outlet conduit 64. While the member 14 has been shown as being heated by steam and cooled by a fluid, it is within the scope of this invention to heat and cool the member 14 by any appropriate means.

A pair of spaced pulleys 70 are rigidly mounted on extension 18 below bearing plate 22 and above rotary joint 62. A pair of endless belts 30 engage the pulleys 70 to drive the same and thus rotate the member 14 when the belts 30 are driven by a suitable source of power, such as an electric motor 28 shown in FIGURE 1. Of course, it is within the scope of the invention to substitute other mechanical means to rotate the members 14.

A sprocket gear 72 is rigidly secured to upper extension 16 between bearing plate 20 and auxiliary bearing plate 52. As better illustrated in FIGURE 1, an endless chain 74 rides on the sprocket gear 72 and serves to operatively connect the members 14 with each other so that the containers C will be confined in the same corresponding portion of the groove of each member at the same time, thus enabling the containers C to be advanced with the mouth of each container in a substantially horizontal plane with respect to the vertical advancement of the container and confined within the groove of each member.

Referring to FIGURE 3, a plurality of containers C are shown in an upright position having stepped portions 76 for maintaining the containers in a vertically spaced relation to each other. Each container has a side wall 78 terminating in an outwardly projecting circumferential rim 80. The container may be formed by deep drawing of a thermoplastic sheet under heat and vacuum and then shearing the formed container from the scrap, such as disclosed in Tiflin et al. application, Ser. No. 261,993, now abandoned, filed Mar. 1, 1963, and Tifiin et al. application, Ser. No. 261,683, now abandoned, filed Feb. 28, 1963, the discosures of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference intothis application, or any other conventional forming process.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the containers are placed in a feeder 24 in an inverted position and are successively fed to a plurality of members 14. FIGURE 4 shows the 4 container C passing through the generally cylindrical pas-, sage formed by the six members 14. Although six members are shown, it will be appreciated that any number of members 14 may be used within the scope of the in vention.

FIGURE 5 discloses various sections of the groove 82 extending helically around the member 14 and shows the container rim 80 being progressively curled by the groove 82. As the container C passes through the generally cylindrical passage formed by the members 14, shown in FIG URE 4, the rim 80 is simultaneously engaged in the grooves 82 of members 14. The helical groove 82 has a constantly changing cross-sectional configuration. For the purposes of discussion the various sections of the groove 82 are broken down into four groups, A, B, C and D 7 of more-or-less similar cross-sectional characteristics.

At the beginning portion of the groove and extending through several turns, as illustrated by a first group A of FIGURE 5, the groove 82 has a cross-sectional configuration comprising a substantially horizontal upper surface 84 extending inwardly to the upper end of a slightly arcuate root surface 86 equal approximately in height to the thickness T of the circumferential rim 80 of the container C. The lower end of the arcuate root section 86 is integrally connected to a tapered lower surface 88 extending outwardly at an acute angle from the upper surface 84. As shown in the first group A of turns, illustrated in FIGURE 5, the groove maintains a constant depth 90 through the first several turns. Through a second group B of turns, illustrated in FIGURE 5, the groove maintains the same cross-sectional configuration but gradually decrease in depth 92. Through a third group C of turns, illustrated in FIGURE 5, the cross-sectional con: figuration changes from that shown in group B to a .completely arcuate surface 94 of decreasing depth. Finally, through a fourth group D of turns, illustrated in FIGURE 5, the cross-sectional configuration remains constant and corresponds to the cross-sectional configuration of the groove of minimum depth 96 in the third group C of turns.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the cross-sectional configuration of the groove 82 immediately above and below the insulating member 40. As such, FIGURE 6 incorporates that portion of the groove 82 appearing in the lower views of group C and in the view of group D, illustrated in FIGURE 5. The pitch 98 of the groove 82 is equal to the nested height differential 100, see FIGURE 3, of the rims 80 of two adjacent containers C so that the containers can pass through the members 14 in a nested relation. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, the height 102 of the cross-sectional configuration of the groove remains constant throughout the continuous length of the groove. However, it is within the scope of the invention to have the height of the groove decrease gradually through the first three groups, A, B and C, of turns, see FIGURE 5, in order to control the tightness of the lip or curled rim.

While the containers C are shown in FIGURE 1 simply placed in a feeder 24, it will be appreciated that many modifications of this arrangement can be used within the scope of the invention. For instance, rather than placing the containers in the feeder manually, the containers can be conveyed from either the cutting or forming station 105, see FIGURE 1, by means of a conveyor 107, such as an air conveyor, to the feeder 24. Furthermore, while the invention is disclosed having a stack of inverted containers C thus indicating that the pneumatic feeding would have to overfeed the lip rolling machine, it is possible to underfeecl the machine such that each container goes through the lip rolling machine separately.

Moreover, while the pitch 98 of the groove '82 is disclosed as being equal to the nested height differential- 100, see FIGURE 3, of the rims 80 of two adjacent containers in the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that if the machine is being underfed, it is not necessary to have the pitch 98 equal to the height differential 100. In this case the pitch may be less than the height differential. When the lip roller is overfed or when the containers are placed in feeder 24, the equality between the pitch 98 and height differential 100 enables the containers to pass through the members 14 in a nested relation. It is within the scope of the invention, though, to have the pitch 98 of the groove 82 greater than the nested height differential 100 so that the containers can pass through the members 14 in a denested or separated manner such that each container rotates separately from the other containers.

In operation, the containers C are fed into engagement with the members 14. The stepped portion 76 of each container allows the containers to be vertically spaced so that the rim of each container, in the preferred embodiment, will be engaged in the grooves without the containers being denested. The rotation of the members 14 in the same direction causes the containers C to move downward within the circular passage formed by the members. When passing through the members, the outwardly projecting circumferential rim 80 of each container is engaged in the helical groove 82. Initially, the outer edge 104, see FIGURE 5, of the rim is confined in the root portion of the groove, thus holding the surface of the rim in close proximity with the upper surface of the groove. The member 14 through the first three groups, A, B and C, of turns is heated. Thus, the rim begins to soften with heat and becomes easy to defiect. When the depth of the groove 82, and hence the diameter of the circular passage formed by two radially equally and oppositely disposed members, as measured from the root surface of the groove, decreases to a point approximately equal to the diameter of the outer edge of the rim, a further decrease in depth of the grooves will cause the rim to buckle downwardly into engagement with the tapered lower surface of the groove. The downward direction of the buckle is caused by retaining the edge 104 of the rim 80 of the container in the arcuate root surface 86 while preventing upward buckling by the substantially horizontal upper surface 84 of the groove.

The cross-sectional configuration of the groove then begins to change to an arcuate root surface 94 While decreasing in depth. As the groove assumes an arcuate root cross-sectional configuration the free edge 104 of the rim is progressively cammed upwardly and inwardly toward the side wall of the container while the rim is being heated. The containers C then pass into a zone of constant cross-sectional configuration wherein the grooves 82 of the members 14 are cooled to chill and set the newly formed lip or curled rim. The containers are then discharged into a suitable receiver 26.

While a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated in the drawings and discussed above, it should be adequately clear that considerable modification may be made thereto without departing from the principles of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing should be considered in an illustrative sense rather than a limiting sense, and accordingly the extent of this invention should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for forming an annular smoothly curved lip on the upper peripheral edge of a container comprising:

a plurality of generally cylindrical rotatable members, each having a helical groove in its outer peripheral surface, said rotatable members having a lip-forming portion in the upper portion thereof and a lip-setting portion in the lower portion thereof, said rotatable members being equiradially disposed from a common central axis and said rotatable members defining therebetween an annular passageway through 6 which the containers pass with the peripheral edge engaged in said grooves of said members; each of said rotatable members having a heating chamber defined within said lip-forming portion of said rotatable member and a cooling chamber defined within said lip-setting portion of said rotatable member, said heating chamber having an upper end wall and said cooling chamber having a lower end wall;

means for heating said heating chamber passing through said upper end wall of at least one of said rotatable members in alignment with the vertical axis of said rotatable member;

means for cooling said cooling chamber passing through said lower end wall of at least one of said rotatable members in alignment with the vertical axis of said rotatable member;

means defining a thermal insulator axially separating said heating and cooling chambers of each of said rotatable members;

said helical groove, in said outer peripheral surface of said lip-forming portion of said cylindrical member, above said insulator means, varying in cross-section for forming the annular, smoothly curved lip on the upper peripheral edge of the container and said helical groove in said outer peripheral surface of said lip-setting portion of said cylindrical member, below said insulator means, remaining substantially constant in cross-section for setting the annular, smoothly curved lip on the upper peripheral edge of the container; and

means for simultaneously rotating said plurality of cylindrical members whereby the annular, smoothly curved lip on the upper peripheral edge of the container can be formed when engaged within said helical grooves.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said groove in said outer peripheral surface of said lip-forming portion of each of said members has a cross-sectional configuration which, beginning at the top of said member and extending through a first group of turns, has a substantially horizontal upper surface extending inwardly to the upper end of a slightly arcuate root surface equal approximately in height to the thickness of said circumferential rim of said container, a tapered lower surface extending from the lower end of said arcuate root surface outwardly at an acute angle from said upper surface, and a constant depth, said configuration through a second group of turns remaining similar to said configuration of said first group of turns except decreasing in depth, said configuration changing to a completely arcuate surface of decreasing depth through a third group of turns, and wherein said groove in said outer peripheral surface of said lip-setting portion of each of said members has a cross-sectional configuration which has an arcuate surface and constant depth corresponding to said arcuate surface of said configuration of minimum depth in said third group of turns.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 additionally comprising means operatively connecting all the generally cylindrical members so as to maintain the same corresponding portion of each groove in contact with the peripheral rim of the container at the same time.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein the containers are fed to said annular passageway in a nested position and wherein the pitch of said groove of each of said members is equal to the nested height differential of the rims of two adjacent containers.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein the height of said cross-sectional configuration of said groove of each of said members measured along the surface of said member decreases through the first three groups of turns so as to control the tightness of the curled rim.

(References on following page) 7 8 References Cited 3,096,546 7/1963 Edwards 264-285 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,19 ,565 7/1965 Rukavina 1s 19 Camel-on 72 1 4 3, 9,887 3/1966 W6ber 1819 8/1927 Cameron 153--59 8/1945 Taber 5 ROBERT F. WHITE, Przmary Exammer.

2/1951 Amberg -1. 1819 R. R. KUCIA, Assistant Examiner.

9/1952 Mossr 15359 

1. APPARATUS FOR FORMING AN ANNULAR SMOOTHLY CURVED LIP ON THE UPPER PERIPHERAL EDGE OF A CONTAINER COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL ROTATABLE MEMBERS EACH HAVING A HELICAL GROOVE IN ITS OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE, SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS HAVING A LIP-FORMING PORTION IN THE UPPRE PORTION THEREOF AND A LIP-SETTING PORTION IN THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF, SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS BEING EQUIRADIALLY DISPOSED FROM A COMMON CENTRAL AXIS AND SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS DEFINE ING THEREBETWEEN AN ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY THROUGH WHICH THE CONTAINERS PASS WITH THE PERIPHERAL EDGE ENGAGED IN SAID GROOVES OF SAID MEMBERS; EACH OF SAID ROTATBLE MEMBERS HAVING A HEATING CHAMBER DEFINED WITHIN SAID LIP-FORMING PORTION OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER AND COOLING CHAMBER DEFINE WITHIN SAID LIP-SETTING PORTION OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER, SAID HEATING CHAMBER HAVING AN UPPER END WALL AND SAID COOLING CHAMBER HAVING A LOWER END WALL MEANS FOR HEATING SAID HEATING CHAMBER PASSING THROUGH SAID UPPER END WALL OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER; MEANS FOR COOLING SAID COOLING CHAMBER PASSING THROUGH SAID LOWER END WALL OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER; MEANS DEFINING A THERMAL INSULATOR AXIALLY SEPARATING SAID HEATING AND COOLING CHAMBERS OF EACH OF SAID ROTATABLE MEMBERS; EXTRUSION PORT, A CONVEYOR SCREW, HAVING A TIP, PROVIDE WITH AT LEAST ONE THREAD DEFINING A SUBSTANTIALLY HELIC GROOVE AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN SAID CYLINDER WITH SAID TIP FACING SAID EXTRUSION PORT, SAID SCREW BEING PROVIDED WITH AN AXIAL CHANNEL HAVING A CLOSED END AND AN OPEN END WITH SAID OPEN END OPENING AT SAID SCREW TIP AND WITH A PLURALITY OF RADIAL CHANNELS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID AXIAL CHANNEL AND THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE SCREW THREAD, MEANS FOR FEEDING MATERIAL TO BE EXTRUDED IN THE SCREW GROOVE, HEATING MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID CYLINDER WALL FOR MELTING THE MATERIAL AS IT PROGRESSES ALONG TIP REVOLVING SCREW INSIDE THE CYLINDER, THE MATERIAL, AS IT IS HEATED IN CONTACT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CYLINDER MELTING AND FLOWING INTO THE RADIAL CHANNELS AND THEN INTO THE AXIAL CHANNEL OF THE SCREW TOWARDS THE TIP THE LATTER AND INTO THE EXTRUDING PORT OF THE CYLINDER. 